Horne Lake

Canada is a country with a diverse range of ethnicities and origins. People have come, and continue to come, from all over the world in hopes of a better future for themselves and their families, as was the case with my ancestors. Horne Lake is an exploration and discovery of the landscapes and spaces that my ancestors settled on during their immigration to Canada. My father’s ancestors immigrated from Scotland in the mid-late 1800s, settling near Lankard, Ontario. My great-great-great-grandparents, the Horne family, started their Canadian life on a small eighty-one-acre lake, known today, as Horne Lake. Horne Lake resides approximately 339 kilometres away from Toronto, Ontario and 100 kilometres away from Ottawa, Ontario, the two closest major cities. Today there are five cottages/homes on the lake, including one modern, baby blue home that occupies the plot where my ancestors resided. Upon arrival, my ancestors were the first overseas settlers to make their home on the lake. My great-great-great-grandfather used the resources of the land to create a small cottage home for his family. Even though the home has been renovated to suit present-day needs, pieces of the original structure still remain the same. This series captures and encompasses a past that I attempted to understand and connect to while exploring ideas of heritage, immigration, and colonization. Horne Lake is a response and a reflection, a search for information about a place that was once only a story told by relatives, a place of new beginnings and a new life.

Bio

Austin Waddell is a Toronto-based photographer currently completing his undergraduate degree at Ryerson University. Spending a majority of his time shooting landscapes and architecture, Austin uses digital photography to capture both the details and atmosphere of the world around him. Design-driven, Austin takes his time while shooting, searching for unique compositions and finding elements that are often overlooked.

Instagram: @austin_waddell